Visions for the Unbalanced
by warmachinerox
Summary: Word of the eradication of the Jedi spread quickly throughout the galaxy and the Emperor has put a high price on any Jedi still alive. Unsure of her master's fate and haunted by dreams of the feared Sith known as Darth Vader, Ahsoka Tano seeks guidance from those she had once left behind.
1. The Nar Shaddaa Incident

As morning came to the city, the light of the rising star began shining through the tattered curtains of a small Nar Shaddaa sanctuary. Ahsoka jolted awake after a long, hard night of tossing and turning. She found herself clutching her lightsaber as she sat up. She could not remember anything she saw during her dreams as it all faded away when she awoke; everything but the deep breathing of an imposing figure in a black mask. She got up and stepped over to the window, moving the curtain aside to view the skyline of the crime infested moon.

" _Ahsoka…_ " a quiet voice echoed through the room.

"Who's there?" Ahsoka voiced loudly. She turned away from the window and ignited her bright green lightsaber into a defensive position.

" _How could you leave?_ " the voice said again.

"Master?" She said, starting to recognize the voice in her head. She had lowered her lightsaber but still kept it ignited.

" _You're no Jedi,_ "

"Show yourself!" Ahsoka shouted.

The voice of her old master stopped. Ahsoka turned off her lightsaber and hooked it back on her belt. She dropped to her knees and pressed her hands against her head. It was not the first time she was hearing voices from the past, but recently they had been growing more clear and more invasive.

Ahsoka departed her sanctuary and made her way down the busy street while sticking close to the alleys and remaining more observant than ever of her surroundings. Word traveled quickly through the galaxy about the Empire's ever-growing presence and steep bounties were being set for any jedi that were found. She had been moving from world to world constantly, generally sticking to slum settlements and fitting in to avoid detection. She did not stay on any one world for too long and decided it was time she depart from Nar Shadda before anyone became suspicious. She located the compound she had been scoping out for several days where a pale Zygerrian was selling various ships and speeders and began making her way to the merchant.

"Hey, watch it you togruta scum!" a man shouted at Ahsoka after she walked into him. Ahsoka only turned her head to send the same angry glare back into his eyes as she stealthily hid away the small blaster that she had just pick-pocketed from him.

" _A deceptive move, Padawan,_ " the voice said again, " _carried out like a true criminal._ "

Ahsoka responded by looking around for the speaker while trying not to look too suspicious, "Get out of my head," she said under her breath as she approached the Zygerrian merchant.

"Ah, another customer," the merchant said as she arrived, "I have not seen a togruta here for many months, how can I be of assistance today?"

"I have been considering a departure from Nar Shaddaa for a while now and I find myself in need of a ship," Ahsoka answered quickly, "Preferably one with a hyperdrive," She added, fixing her gaze on a number of small fighters similar to the ones she piloted during the war.

"Really? The merchant said, sounding impressed, "Where is it that you are going?"

"I'm hoping to make it as far as the Alderaan system, I have an old friend there I would like to visit."

"That one over there," the Zygerrian said pointing at a sizeable single person ship in a hanger, "Might suit you well if you have the credits." Ahsoka took a moment to approach the ship and inspect it to make sure that it would be in working order upon purchase and returned to the merchant.

"How much?" she asked.

"Two million credits," The merchant replied.

"WHAT!" Ahsoka shouted, "That bucket of bolts is barely worth two thousand. You must be crazy."

"Think of the price as…compensation,"

"For what?"

"Well, you see," the merchant started, staring intensely at the lightsaber at Ahsoka's waist, "The Emperor has put a particularly high bounty on jedi. I was thinking that a slightly higher price might make me forget I saw that little…weapon of yours."

"You assume that because I have this lightsaber that I must be a jedi?"

"I assume nothing; but seeing you has jogged my memory slightly…kinda like I know you from somewhere."

"I believe you are mistaken, sir. I'll pay the credits and we can both pretend this little exchange never happened."

"Wait," the merchant continued, "I do remember you from somewhere…"

"You don't remember be from anywhere—" Ahsoka waved her hand subtly attempting to deceive the Zygerrian.

"You're that scum that helped stir up such a load of trouble on my home planet! You're the one that freed all those slaves!"

"I did not free anybody," Ahsoka said, attempting the mind trick again, "you are thinking of someone else."

"Maybe I'll just turn you into the authorities and call it square, eh."

Before the merchant could say anymore or make any action, he found a blaster in his face. "Shut up!" Ahsoka said as she aimed the blaster she had stolen earlier.

" _You wouldn't shoot him, would you?_ " she heard Anakin's voice in her head again.

"You will not call the authorities," she said, ignoring the voices in her head, "You will let me take that ship, and I will leave this system unfollowed."

"Or what?" the merchant asked, laughing slightly, "A jedi wouldn't hurt me."

" _It's not the Jedi way. Don't shoot him._ "

Ahsoka's hand began trembling. The more she heard her master's voice in her head, the harder it became to hold the blaster. She glared at the merchant with intense eyes as she fought back tears and lowered the weapon slightly.

"I knew you couldn't do it," the merchant said, "No jedi could,"

"I am not a jedi," She affirmed.

" _Pull the trigger!_ "

...

Blinded slightly by shock in her inability to control herself at that moment, Ahsoka looked around in horror at the aftermath of her actions. The merchant slumped back in his chair with a blaster wound in his chest and countless witnesses stared at her, some whispering to each other and some acting as if it was nothing new to them. Unsure of what to do, the fight or flight response took all control of her body and she ran for the ship she intended to buy. After some difficulty getting the ship started, she finally, albeit recklessly, got the ship flying and out away from the surface of the moon.

After flying out a safe distance from the moon and it's planet and ensuring she was not being followed, she closed her eyes entered a state of light meditation in an attempt to recall the coordinates to the Alderaan system that she had once memorized a long time ago. As the memories of the numbers came to her, she typed the in the location of her destination and allowed the hyperdrive to take over.


	2. An Old Ally

The stolen ship exited hyperspace a short distance away from the bright blue and white orb known as Alderaan and Ahsoka resumed control so as to fly down to the surface. As she got closer to the planet, a fleet of white ships orbiting the planet grew closer. They looked very similar to the republic cruisers that she had served on during the clone wars but much bigger and so much more imposing. The Empire had and exceptionally strong presence here. Ahsoka flew past the gigantic warships with great caution and spent every second of her flight preparing to defend herself against potential attack with the very limited firepower her ship had. A surprisingly safe and uneventful passage through the fleet of Imperial cruisers gave her some relief as she entered the atmosphere and flew down toward the large palace at the edge of a large cityscape.

As she exited the ship after landing on a small platform, she was greeted by a representative from the palace.

"Welcome to the peaceful world of Alderaan," the man said to her, "How can we serve you on this fine day?"

"I'm here to see Senator Bail Organa," Ahsoka said softly. She had never been to Alderaan before and was slightly unsure if she was at the right place.

"I'm afraid the senator is quite busy at the present time, can I schedule an appointment for you?"

"If you could help me find the time now, it is really important that I speak to him," Ahsoka urged, "I'm a Jedi," she confirmed, showing the representative her lightsaber and hoping he would comply.

"Very well," the representative said, "I will speak to the senator and let him know you are here.

"Thank you." Ahsoka said as he turned back to the palace entrance.

" _You lied, Ahsoka,_ " Anakin's voice whispered in her head again, _"You left us,_ "

"Stop," Ahsoka said to the master she could not see.

" _How could you tell that man you're something you're not?_ "

"You are not real," she continued, trying to block the voices from her head, "My master would never say these things."

" _Your master is gone!_ " The voice was different this time, it was not Anakin's but someone else's. Just as the voice faded away, a blurry image appeared before the former padawan. The image took the shape of a horribly deformed man that somewhat resembled Chancellor Palpatine. The figure came closer, staring intensely into her eyes. Her body trembled with a sense of cold despair as the man raised his hands. The bright flash of the lightning that protruded from his sickly hands forced her to jump back in fright. She felt an imaginary jolt of electricity flow through her for a split second as the image disappeared form sight.

...

The representative that spoke with Ahsoka entered a conference room within the palace where Senator Organa was speaking with a small group of people. "Senator Organa, sir," the representative spoke out. Organa halted his discussion with his peers and everyone in the room looked at the representative. "I am very sorry to disrupt your meeting, sir, but you have a visitor who urgently wishes to speak with you."

"Do you know about what?" Organa asked, stepping off to the side of the room to have a more private talk.

"She didn't say, sir, but she claims to be a Jedi."

The senator said nothing to his representative after hearing this and returned to the group he was speaking to before he was interrupted, "May we continue this conference at a later time," he said to them, "It seems I have a very important matter that I must attend to."

...

Ahsoka patiently waited for some response from either the representative or the senator she came to see and stood silently at the edge of the landing platform overlooking a vast city skyline that reminded her of large crystals reflecting the blue of the sky across a mountainous landscape.

"Madame Jedi," she heard from the representative returning from the palace behind her, "May I present to you, Senator Bail Organa."

Ahsoka turned to see the senator emerging from the large wooden door accompanied by his representative and the two exchanged glances of happiness.

"Ahsoka," the senator said, recognizing the former padawan that he had grown fond of during the war, "It brings me so much joy to know you're alive."

"I could say the same, Senator," Ahsoka replied.

"The galaxy has become a dangerous place for Jedi," Organa said, "I can't imagine you came here to chat. What is it I can do for you?"

"Senator," Ahsoka started, pausing momentarily to regather her thoughts before she delivered a very thoughtful and patronizing speech, "Although I left the Jedi order, I sill found myself absolutely devastated when I heard what was going on. The disturbance in the force that night was so strong I could actually feel the pain of so many individuals at once as the perished at the hands of the very men they led into battle. You were one of the few people who trusted the Jedi to the very end and they trusted you. I know the Jedi are not all gone and I come to you because you must know they are. I find myself in desperate need of guidance and I believe you are the only link I have to whoever might be left."

"The night the order was given to eradicate the Jedi I became a means of safety and escape for Yoda and General Kenobi," Organa answered. "Because of those events and the future they saw for themselves and any other Jedi, they both chose to go into exhile."

"Do you know where I can find them?"

"I know General Kenobi has been living just outside Mos Eisley on Tatooine. I am not sure where Yoda is."

"Thank you, Senator," Ahsoka concluded, "I will find Master Obi-Wan. If I can find Master Yoda I should see him too."

"I am happy to help," the senator replied, "and if you need anything ever, you know were to find me."

Ahsoka bowed her head slightly in goodbye and turned around to enter her ship for another long flight.

"Ahsoka," Senator Organa said in a raised voice to gather her attention one last time, "Palpatine forged this empire through the pure evil that flows through him. He has destroyed any hope of ever retaining a democracy. I am collaborating with a growing number of systems to form a rebellion against this new empire. I would be grateful to have the influence of someone of your ability and experience to make this happen."

"I don't know what help I would be, Senator," Ahsoka replied, too kind to reject his offer, "But I might consider it at some point. Thank you again, Senator."

"Thank you," Organa insisted, "And may the Force be with you." He watched as Ahsoka boarded her ship. The ramp lifted up from the ground and the engines fired up with a unique screech that turned into a ground shaking rumble before it lifted off the ground and returned to the sky. "May the Force be with us all," he mumbled towards the ground as he stepped back to the palace with a melancholy expression in his eyes.


	3. Fear

Ahsoka cut the hyperspace engine only halfway to her destination on Tatooine. Ever since she had departed from the Alderaan system, she had been feeling a peculiar presence in the force. The recalled how she would sometimes be drawn to different people or locations around the galaxy during the Clone War by sheer intuition and the will of the force. She still had those feelings every now and then but at this moment, it was stronger than she had ever felt it since she left the Jedi order. There was clearly motion in the air and it was urging her to the hazy green planet she found herself near when she left hyperspace.

"The force is strong with this planet," she said to herself, "what's down there?"

" _Fear…_ " Anakin's voice trailed in her head again, " _hatred, betrayal,_ " the voice trailed off, but her line of sight through the windscreen of the ship was blocked by a cloudy vision. It started off blurry and dark but quickly took the form of a black mask, almost machine like in appearance. In the background, the deep breathing of a mechanical respirator was growing louder and a bright, crimson lightsaber ignited seemingly inches from her face. Before she could see anymore, she closed her eyes tightly took her hands off the controls in fright.

"I'm not seeing this!" she yelled to herself, "This isn't real!" She opened her eyes again, hoping the vision was gone; when she saw that it was, she regained focus of what she was doing and resumed control of the ship. She could feel her heart pounding in fear as she pitched the ship into the planet's atmosphere and prepared to land.

...

Ahsoka exited her ship, hoping it was only the windscreen that was fogged over from the atmosphere and not the environment itself. "Well this was clearly a mistake," she said to herself. She looked around and at the faint images of trees that she wasn't really sure were there because the mist was so thick. "Even if there was something here, I'd never make it back to the ship." She turned back to the ship and began climbing the ramp to leave the planet.

"Don't turn back now, padawan," she heard a voice say. It was not Anakin's voice this time, but a voice she had never heard before.

"Who are you?" Ahsoka called out, "Show yourself!"

"All in good time, Ahsoka, have patience."

Ahsoka was conflicted; this was not like the illusions or hallucinations of Anakin's voice she was hearing. This voice was very real and she could feel a presence beside her. "I don't know you," she said, "how do you know who I am?"

"Patience…let the force guide you."

"Guide me to what?" Ahsoka challenged, "the only things here are fog and swamp water."

"You've made it this far, padawan, but if you leave now, you will never know."

"Fine, whatever," Ahsoka submitted, "but if I find out that this is some wild bantha chase I will—"

"Do what, padawan?" the unseen man refuted, "I find it difficult to believe that someone who is hearing things and seeing things is in any position to threaten someone she is not even sure is real."

Ahsoka opened her mouth but had nothing to respond with; the mysterious figure she could not see did have a good point. Hoping she wasn't really going crazy, she took the advice she was given. She let go of all judgment and doubt she had, closed her eyes, and began walking.

After taking more steps than she could count, Ahsoka stopped in her tracks as she listened to the constant screeching and howling of wildlife. She tilted her head back, leaving her eyes closed, and yelled up to the sky, "Alright mysterious force guy, I did what you said and I've found nothing!"

Her eyes snapped open suddenly at the sound of yet another voice. This time it was a low, gravely voice, one she could recognize instanlty, "If closed, your eyes are then nothing, you will find."

"Yoda?" she said perplexed and looking around for the little green Jedi that stood next to her.

"Good to see you, it is, Ahsoka."

"It's good to see you too, Master Yoda. What are you doing here?"

"My home, this is," Yoda replied, "Find me, how did you?"

"It's kind of a long story," Ahsoka explained, "I was heading to Tatooine to speak to Master Obi-Wan and I got a little sidetracked."

"Adventure is good. The will of the force, perhaps?"

"Maybe," Ahsoka considered, "I didn't know I would find you here, but since I did, maybe you can help me. I could really use your wisdom right now."

Yoda's eyes widened with intrigue, "Walk with me, padawan," he said, "talk, we will." Yoda turned away from the former Jedi and began slowly waddling, with the help of his cane, to the trees. The fog was lifting slightly, but but still unsure of where the green alien would take her, Ahsoka was hesitant to follow. "Come now, child."

"Yes, Master," Ahsoka said and quickly caught up with the great Jedi master.

"What troubles you, padawan?"

"I have been seeing things, Master, hallucinations, and hearing voices in my head."

"Hallucinations?" Yoda reiterated, "What, in these visions, do you see?"

"Different things," Ahsoka started, "sometimes I see Chancellor Palpatine, except very sinister looking…"

"The Emperor, he is now,"

"And a man in a black mask," Ahsoka continued, "I believe him to be the one they call Darth Vader but I can't be sure."

"Mmmm, disturbing, this is," Yoda said as he bowed his head to the ground, "And the voices?"

"Mostly I hear Master Anakin's voice…but darker, and angrier. He says things to me that I know he would never say. It scares me sometimes."

"The dark side, that is," Yoda assured, "Calls out to you, it does."

"But why? I've never—"

"Unbalanced, the force has become. Surrounds us all, it does, more than ever before. Fear, it feeds on. Get stonger, it does, when afraid you are."

"What should I do?"

"Embrace it."

"What

"Fear is a path to the dark side," Yoda explained, "Face it, you should. Let it control you, do not."

Yoda stopped at a small cave opening that was covered in vines and tree branches. "Why are we stopping, Master?" Ahsoka asked.

"No further do I go," he answered, "My journey, this is not. Go ahead you will."

"What's in there?" Ahsoka asked, "It feels really strong with the force…the dark side of the force."

"Training, padawan."

"If you say so," Ahsoka sighed before taking cautious steps toward the cave entrance.

The cave became dark quickly as the vines seemed to block off the cave entrance instantly. The air that had felt cold and damp became even colder. The moisture in the air became heavy, and the screeches and barks from the various wildlife in the forest faded away. The silence was quickly broken by the sound of deep breathing, the same deep breathing that had been accompanying her hallucinations of Anakin, the Sith lord, Darth Vader and the quick glances of Palpatine. "Not again!" she yelled out.

" _I think the chancellor is a Sith lord_ ," she heard the familiar voice of her master say through the darkness.

" _He is a traitor!_ " Another voice yelled in the background; the voice of Mace Windu.

A vision appeared before Ahsoka who only watched in horror as she witnessed her master turn on Windu and cut his arm off.

"What?" she said to herself, "That can't be true."

The image shifted to the surface of a volcanic planet. Ahsoka spun around in place to find herself in between Anakin and Obi-Wan as they glared at each other with great anger.

" _You were supposed to be the chosen one!_ " Obi-Wan yelled. The images of Obi-Wan and Anakin passed through her as if she was nonexistent and they swung their ignited lightsabers at each other.

" _Ahsoka,_ " she heard, this time from another figure. Behind her, she noticed a towering person dressed in all black with a machine in its chest and a shiny helmet that looked exactly as she had seen in her dreams and hallucinations before; Darth Vader. " _The Jedi are the true evil in the galaxy,_ " he said, " _Join me and together we can put an end to the pain they caused you and me._ "

"I would never join you," Ahsoka responded, " _You're_ evil and corrupt. You killed the Jedi and I will have no part in that. The Jedi order may have betrayed me once but I still believe they stand for a good cause."

" _Then you are foolish and weak._ "

"We'll see."

Darth Vader ignited his lightsaber and Ahsoka ignited hers. Their blades met and crackled several times before Ahsoka was able to disarm her opponent. She stared at the Sith with her lightsaber pointed at his face. "Take off the mask," she said, "I want to know who you are. I want to know who it is that is killing all the Jedi."

Vader reached behind his head, pulling off the helmet on his head before reaching to unhook the face mask from his mechanical collar. The mask was slowly revealed to show her a face she hoped she would never see on the other side. "Anakin!" she said, bewildered. "No. It's not you. It can't be you, this is not real." She began striking at Vader with her lightsaber and swung it at him over and over before it was finally removed from her hands.

When she realized she was no longer holding her lightsaber, she looked around her to see where it had gone. When she turned back to her victim, there was nothing to be found in front of her and no sign of her lightsaber anywhere. She closed her eyes and wiped away a tear with her hand. When she opened her eyes back up she was no longer in a cave, but in a small bed inside Yoda's hut.

"Such anger," he said, shaking his head in sorrow. He was not speaking to Ahsoka, but it was clear she was who he was referring to.

"What happened in the cave," Ahsoka started, "Was that real? Did you see him?"

"Saw no one, I did. Only me and only you. For you only, your experience was. Its reality, for you to decide." The little green Jedi handed Ahsoka her lightsaber. "Leave, you may. Somewhere else the force wishes to lead you, I sense."

"Master, when Order 66 was issued across the galaxy, almost all the Jedi were killed. You and Obi-Wan are the only ones I know that survived," Ahsoka said, "But I have to know, did Anakin make it out okay? Is it possible that he is out there somewhere?"

"Difficult, it is, to know what happened you young Skwalker. In time, become clearer, the truth may."

"No, Yoda!" Ahsoka yelled, feeling a strange rush of anger, "I know you know the truth, just tell me."

"In time, beccome known to you, the truth will. Seek it out for yourself, you must."

"I _am_ seeking it out myself, Master" Ahsoka asserted, "from someone who knows that truth. What happened to Anakin? I know he survived, he was too skilled to let himself be killed."

Yoda placed both hands on the small walking stick in front of him and bowed his head in deep despair, "Fallen to the dark side, young Skywalker has." He admitted, "Of his true fate, only Obi-Wan knows."

"Thank you." Ahsoka replied.

"Go where, now, do you?" Yoda asked as Ahsoka walked away from the hut and back into the forest.

"To go seek the truth."


End file.
